The Knight and The Strawberry
by Bruised Knuckles
Summary: When Ichigo and his mother are attacked, something unexpected happens and he ends up lost and alone in a strange new land. What will he do, and how will his presence change the lives of the members of a particular guild? And what will happen when a certain red head catches his gaze? Long play Ichi/Erza plus other minor pairings. Rated M for violence, adult themes, and maybe lemons.
1. Lives Ending

Chapter 1 Lives Ending

Dismal. That's how most would describe the evening. The sky was darkened, lightning was crashing, and the rain was coming down in a deluge. It had been like that for most of the evening. In stark contrast, earlier in the day the sun had been out and it had been abnormally hot. Most would have called it a dreary evening, but not Ichigo Kurosaki. No the day to him had been great. His mother had packed his favorite lunch, at recess they played soccer and he had gotten to hang out with his best friend Tatsuki at Karate! And now, to put the icing on the cake he was walking home with his mother. She was amazing. She was beautiful and kind, she always knew just how to rub your tummy after dinner, and she gave the best hugs. She was the world to Ichigo. He always felt safe with her.

Yes today was a good day for little 9 year old Ichigo. Until.

"What's that girl dong?" Ichigo said before he saw the girl take a step towards the river. "AH. I'll be right back!"

"Ichigo where are you going?!" Masaki called to him "No! Ichigo stop!" she cried chasing after the boy. He couldn't see the monster waiting to attack him, but she could. And she wasn't going to make it in time.

Ichigo felt something hit him hard on the back and he fell forward. He could hear his mother scream, and then?

Nothing.

He was surrounded by nothingness. 'Where am I? What happened to the girl by the river? Where's my Mother?!' he thought. He tired calling out to her but his voice never came. He tried looking at his hands, but saw nothing. Just the continuing unending darkness. Where was he?

Tap

'What was that?'

Tap…tap…tap

'Footsteps? Could that be mom?' Ichigo hoped. As the steps got closer his vision slowly returned to him. He could see a blue sky above him, and as he lifted his arm, he could see his hands blurring into existence. The taping came closer. He felt something smooth and hard beneath him. 'Glass? Why am I lying on glass?'

"…Ichigo"

Someone was calling him. He tried to look around but couldn't see anything. As he began to sit up he realized that he was hanging from the side of a skyscraper.

"Aaahhh!" Ichigo screamed, pressing himself against the building.

"Why are you laying down like that Ichigo?" he heard the deep voice of a man behind him. He craned his neck to see who it was that had spoken. What his eyes saw surprised him. Standing perpendicular to the side of the building was a tall man with a sharp angled chin covered in a thin layer of the beginnings of a beard. His hair was long and brown and flowed in the slight breeze. He wore sunglasses over his grey eyes, and had a long tattered black coat on.

"Who are you mister?" the young Ichigo asked

"You have not yet answered my question" the man said stoically. "Why are you lying down Ichigo?"

"Uhhh… well if I stood up id fall." Ichigo stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Who was this guy? Did he forget about gravity? And how is he…

"Then why have I not fallen?" The old man asked, causing Ichigo to stop and think. In fact as he thought about it, he did feel like he was laying on top of the building instead of pressing against the side of it. And if the old man could stand here then maybe the building was on its side, although Ichigo couldn't think of one good reason as to why that would be. "Stand up Ichigo."

Ichigo did as he was instructed and slowly got to his feet, testing the ground to make sure he wasn't just about to slide down. Satisfied that he would be okay for now the small boy looked up at the mysterious man "So who are you anyway?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't used to talking to strangers but for some reason he felt oddly comfortable with the man. 'Why do I get this strange feeling from this guy? Its almost like I've known him my whole life.'

The old man made to speak before pausing. "No doubt you have many more questions than my identity. For now you may simply call me Old Man. We may have only just truly met, but trust that my only wish in this life is to keep you safe." He lifted his arm to point out to the surrounding landscape of sideways sky scrapers. "As far as where we are, you will learn that in time as well. Simply know that this place is your sanctuary, your safe haven." The old man finished looking at Ichigo with concern in his eyes.

Ichigo was confused. So many questions were raging through his mind. How did he get here? And for that matter where is 'here'? Why is he here with this man and not…

"Where is my mother?!" Ichigo shouted out desperately. His worry only growing as he saw the reaction in the mans eyes

"I am sorry Ichigo. She is dead." At this Ichigo's eyes widened in horror. "You were attacked by a foul creature who was using that girl as bait to draw you in. Your mother threw herself between you and your attacker. In doing so, she gave me the time I needed to bring you here and save you." The man paused in his speech, sadness now threatening to crack his voice. A lone tear falling from his eye. " I am so sorry Ichigo. My power was only enough to save your life." The old man finished

'Dead?... How could she be dead? It's impossible! Isn't it?' Ichigo couldn't think. All of this was too much for a 9 year old to take in to begin with but now? Now his mother was dead? Why her? Why had this happened? He could do nothing. His entire world had been shattered.

Ichigo fell to his knees and began to cry. These were not his usual cries of disappointment when Tatsuki beat him, or sadness of when he broke a toy. No. these were unrestrained and unreasonable tears of sorrow, loss, grief, guilt, and pain.

Ichigo was beginning to hyperventilate when he felt an arm being placed over him. It was the old man, pain evident in his face as well "I know you are hurt and scared. And that you don't know what to do. But now is the time that you will need to be strong."

Ichigo looked up at the man. "How were you able to save me and not her too?" he pleaded

The old man paused a moment before his reply "When the beast entered your world a portal was created. You were pulled into this portal. It is actually lucky that you were, for it got you away from the monster, and I was able to use my power to protect you. If you had remained by the river my power would have done nothing to prevent the monster from killing you. However…" he paused. He looked into Ichigo's eyes, seeing the lingering pain. He glanced up at the sky, noticing the dark clouds beginning to form. He did not have much time. "Listen to me Ichigo. The portal you were pulled into has thrown us into a completely different universe. I have no idea what life is like here or if you will be safe here. You will wake up soon and when you do you will find that a sword is with you. I cannot explain why, but keep this sword with you at all times. It will be your only protection."

Ichigo was stunned. 'Another universe? What?' he looked up to see the man beginning to fade away. "Hey old man, wait!" he yelled.

The man simply turned around "I truly am sorry that these things have happened to you Ichigo. But do not be afraid. You are not alone. I will always be here to guide and protect you. If you ever have a need to speak with me, simply hold your sword close to you, and picture this place in your mind." The old man turned and began walking away "Goodbye for now, and stay strong Ichigo."

And with that Ichigo was suddenly blinded by an intense light before he felt himself falling and eventually losing consciousness.

* * *

><p>Boring.<p>

Simply boring.

That's how Gildarts Clive would describe the job he had just finished. What was supposed to be a dark guild using death magic to reanimate spirits to terrorize a town, had simply been common bandits using nothing but smoke and mirrors. He had to give them credit, it was a very elaborate and well prepared illusion, but any mage would have instantly been able to tell that there was something amiss. He had simply beaten up the supposed mages and they fled promising never to pull a trick like that again. Hell he'd even felt bad accepting only half the reward. He didn't feel like he really deserved it for a simple bandit job. His thoughts were interrupted by a massive flash slightly in the distance accompanied by the sound of a small explosion.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled shielding his eyes from the light. Rushing off in the direction of the impact he came to a clearing that looked as if it had just recently been made. All of the grass was burnt away and some of the smaller trees were broken down. In the center of the clearing was a small crater, a couple meters wide. And in the middle of the crater….

"A kid?!" Gildarts exclaim. 'How the hell did a kid cause this' he took in the surroundings and noticed a hole in the canopy of the forest where it looked like something had crashed through. 'Did he fall from the sky? If that's the case how did he survive? And what's with that sword?' he walked next to the boy and could see that he was clearly breathing and appeared uninjured. He looked like he was close to 9 years old and was rather skinny. Most notably his hair was a brilliant shade of orange. "hmm, probably best to be careful. If he survived that and did all this, he can't be a normal kid" Gildarts whispered to himself, deciding that he would wait for the kid to wake up and observe how he behaved.

He found a spot that would suit his needs up on a high but sturdy branch. He would sit here until the kid made some kind of move. He knew he was being a little ridiculous, after all the kid had to only be like 8 or 9 right? But still, something strange was going on here, and he intended to get a better idea of what it was.

As it turned out, he wasn't left waiting for long, as the boy began to stir and slowly sat up looking at his surroundings.

'He doesn't look like he's hurt.'

Gildarts watched on as the boy then noticed the sword strapped to his back that was as long as the kid was tall. The boy pulled the sword off his back and began to hold it to his chest. He slowly sat back down and, clutching the sword for dear life, began to cry.

'I guess he must be scared or something.' Gildarts mumbled in his thoughts, feeling slightly guilty for having been suspicious, as he quietly climbed down from his perch. He approached the boy and tried to get his attention without scaring him. "Hey kid."

Ichigo jumped up and clutched the sword in his hands. He wasn't sure who this man was

Seeing this Gildarts tried to calm him "hey easy. I'm not gonna hurt ya." Getting no response he tried something else. "My name's Gildarts. Gildarts Clive. Can you tell me your name?"

"… Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki" the boy said. Stuttering slightly.

"It's nice to meet you Ichigo. Do you know what happened here?" Gildarts asked, trying to get a grasp of just how the kid ended up in this place

For a while the boy said nothing, only staring at Gildarts, then suddenly a wave of sadness washed over his face and he let his sword fall to the ground, though he still kept a firm grip on the handle.

"My mother was killed." This news was shocking. Although it did explain why he had been crying. "The monster who attacked her knocked me into a portal, and now I'm here. And I don't even know where here is, or what I'm gonna do!" Ichigo continued, fighting his hardest not to break into tears again. A difficult thing when you're 9 years old

Gildarts walked over to the boy and put his coat over Ichigo's shoulders. "Hey there there. It'll all be okay. Can you tell me where you came from?"

Ichigo wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. "I'm from Karakura town, in Japan."

'Karakura? Japan?' I've never heard of either of those before.' Gildarts thought to himself. 'Is it possible that this portal he mentioned was to another world?!' he would have to ask someone a lot smarter than himself to get the answer to that question. For now he just needed to help Ichigo find somewhere safe.

"Well hey listen. I know you're scared and alone right now but don't worry. I know someplace where you'll feel safe and you'll never have to be alone. Okay?"

Ichigo just looked up at the man. He didn't know what to do. Here this guy was willing to help him find a safe place, but he only just met this guy, and he didn't think he should make a habit out of blindly listening to every middle aged man he ran into.

'_Go with him Ichigo.'_

What was that? It sounded like the old man, but it came from inside his head.

'_Go with him Ichigo. We can trust him. He will take you somewhere where that you can begin to figure out what it is you should do.'_

'It was the old man! Maybe this is what he meant by always being with me. Well, if the old man thinks i should trust this guy then I suppose I should go with him'

Hesitantly, Ichigo agreed to go with the man. Who knows maybe he will be okay after all. It wasn't the best of situations to find yourself in, and he was sad and scared out his mind over what had befallen his mother, but maybe. Just maybe everything would be okay.

"So Ichigo how old you anyway?" Gildarts asked cheerfully trying to brighten the kid up

"I'm 9 years old, and I'll be 10 next month on the 15th." Ichigo said before a realization hit him. "It is June here, right?"

"Hahaha, yes it is. Well hopefully we can get there before your birthday." Gildarts said with a smirk. "Tell me, have you ever heard of Fairytail?

* * *

><p><strong>AN** alright so there's the first chapter of my first story ever! i chose this cross over cause im a little obsessed with both animes at the moment. Anyway a few things

Firstly, I will be making some OC characters to fill gaps where there isnt any information on who else was there in the events of Pre-canon, as well as a few extra enemies to make sure Ichigo ha something to do during the conflicts without booting out the original people.

And that leads us to the second point. Ichigo will eventually unlock most of his power, though it will be over a far longer time period than in Bleach canon. im doing this just so that the story isn't basically Ichigo just walking through all of the villians like paper.

and Thirdly, I've been watching the anime, not reading the manga. They will talk to each other in a western manner. So mostly first names and no honorifics like -chan or -sama. Sorry but i don't understand when it is appropriate to use the terms or what their meanings are so I'm just gonna forgo them.

Thank you all for reading and please, even though there isn't much of a story yet, submit a review. I would greatly appreciate it. :)


	2. A New Home

The Knight and the Strawberry Chapter 2

Ichigo could hardly believe his eyes as he looked out at the city in front of him. At first it looked just like any other city, with houses lining the streets, stores on the corners, and people going about their day just like in all the other towns they had been to. However not long after the town had come into view, the entire thing began to shift and move around right before their eyes. The buildings all shifted up and sideways forming a single main road going through the town leading to a large building. Ichigo looked at Gildarts with a questioning look, but the man didn't seem to think anything was out of the ordinary.

"Well it looks like they know we're coming." He stated with a small chuckle. "C'mon kid, we don't wanna keep them waiting." And with that he strolled into the road that had apparently been made for them.

Ichigo was still a little confused, but the more he thought about it the more he began to think that maybe it was a good idea. After all, in his month traveling with Gildarts, he learned that the man was a bit clumsy and had a bad habit of walking right through objects in his way.

The more he thought back on their journey the less aware he was of their progress up the road.

* * *

><p>Flash back, three weeks prior.<p>

Gildarts sat looking at Ichigo from across the fire. At first he had thought that he was just over analyzing it, but the more he focused the more he was certain. It wasn't too powerful, but the boy had power radiating from him. This wasn't too surprising given the circumstances they had met under. However, what was strange about it was that it felt like it was trying to engulf him and even push against him. It was barely noticeable, even to someone as powerful as himself, hell anyone who was on his level of skill with magic would probably not even be able to notice it. But it was there, and it was very interesting.

Something else he had noticed was Ichigo's behavior, or more specifically the lack of it. The boy simply followed him wherever they went without talking or showing any emotion. Gildarts knew that he was suffering from his loss, but he was just bottling it up. And that was not good. He needed to find something to bring the kid back out of his shell.

'Maybe the boy could be a mage.' Gildarts mused. They were headed to a magic guild. Perhaps it would be good for Ichigo if he knew a bit of magic before they arrived. 'What type of magic should I teach him though?'

His eyes fell on the boy's sword and an idea came to him. "Hey Ichigo." Said boy looked up hearing the sound of his name. "How would you feel about learning some magic?"

Ichigo perked up "Do you think I would be able to do it?" although he was excited, he wasn't sure that he was capable of it.

"Of course you can, most people are capable of using magic. We just have to figure out what kind of magic suits you, and from there you can make a style all your own."

Ichigo's eyes lit up a little bit. Every little kid fantasizes about having magic powers, so hearing that he could really be capable of it was very exciting.

"How well do can you use that sword?

With this question Ichigo's expression fell slightly. He was no stranger to a fight. After all, he had been taking karate for several years. He was used to fighting and sparing with his fists. But that was it, and in the end nobody really got hurt too bad. But a sword? A sword was different. They didn't just leave bumps and bruises. Swords could very easily hurt or even kill people. The idea almost made Ichigo sick.

Seeing the apprehension on the boys' face Gildarts attempted to put his mind at ease "Well don't worry too much about that. I only asked because one of the basic types of magic is sword magic. It lets you swing harder and use different types of attacks with your weapon." Ichigo looked at him "And besides, we won't be learning any of that for a while. The first thing we have to teach you is how to draw on your magic power."

"Well how do I do that?"

"You have to find the place deep within you that you power is located. It's different for everyone. Don't worry if it's tough the first few times, with practice it will become as natural as breathing."

Ichigo nodded and began to focus. He closed his eyes and searched for his power. For a long time nothing happened and Ichigo was about to give up, when suddenly he felt something. It was like a small little fire sitting deep within him. As he tried to approach it he began to feel it course through the rest of his being briefly before it retreated back within him.

He opened his eyes with a big grin on his face. "I found it!" the boy shouted

"I know hahaha. I felt the change in you the moment you did." Gildarts said smiling back at Ichigo. "Well done, the hard part is out of the way for now. What we will work on next is helping you find that power faster, and then eventually manifesting it into spells."

And so over the next few days Ichigo repeated the exercise, and more often than not, each attempt was faster than the one before it. Then something unexpected happened

During one of his tries to touch his power, Ichigo suddenly felt himself being sucked into it instead of how it normally flowed into him. He felt himself slipping out of consciousness until he woke up to a familiar sight

He once again found himself staring at the sideways city where he had gone when he first came to this world.

"Welcome back, Ichigo" he quickly turned around to see the old man once again standing on the pole "It is good to see you again. I did not expect you to be able to return to this place so quickly."

Ichigo just looked around "Well to be honest I'm not sure how I even did. I was just practicing calling out my magic power like Gildarts said, and then I wound up here."

"Yes I know. It seems that it is time I told you just where exactly this place is."

Now Ichigo truly was curious. He had always been wondering what this world truly was.

"I am sure by now," the old man continued. "that you have figured out that this is not a real place in the physical world." The boy nodded. "In actuality this place is within your soul. It is your inner world, somewhere that only you are capable of reaching. It is here that your power resides. That is why you accidentally came here while trying to reach your power."

Ichigo was stunned. On one hand this was a lot to take in. This enormous sideways city was all in his head? That's just crazy right? On the other hand, it made a bit of since. This was why he had been able to hear the old man's voice in his head. And if it wasn't a physical place then why couldn't the city be on its side? He was 9 after all, he'd imagined stranger things before.

That was all well and good, but it still left one very important question.

"Who are you old man?"

The man looked at Ichigo examining him. After a while he shook his head. "I am sorry, but you are not ready to learn that just yet. One day, but not today. Just accept that I reside in this world within you and my purpose is to guide and protect you."

Ichigo looked down at the ground with slight disappointment. "Okay"

"There is one thing I would like to ask you now Ichigo."

"What is it?"

"Why are you afraid of your sword?"

"Well…" Ichigo looked away embarrassed. "I don't know how to use it, and im worried I might hurt myself or someone."

At this the old man smiled, just a little bit. "Well we can change that." Ichigo looked at him quizzically. "From now on, whenever you have time, return to this world, and I will teach you the way of the sword."

And so for the next few weeks Ichigo began his training in the use of magic, and his swordsmanship. He was making very fast progress. He had begun to be able to summon up his magical power without too much thought, and was even learning some basic sword magic.

He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed that they were arriving at the front doors of the guild. It was a decently large building with three stories, each slightly smaller than the one beneath it. From the top floor three flags hung. Ichigo recognized the Fairy Tail emblem that Gildarts had shown him on the middle flag.

Before long they were standing just outside the doors. Ichigo could hear what sounded like many voices talking and laughing from the other side of the thick doors. He had to admit, he was really nervous. Gildarts had told him that the members of the guild were very nice and that they would welcome him with open arms. But Ichigo wasn't sure.

'I hope they like me.' He worried to himself. 'What if my magic isn't good enough to get in?' He didn't have time to worry though because Gildarts was already pushing the doors open

"Gildarts!" the crowd of men and women cheered from inside the guild. They were all smiling and looking at the newest occupants.

Gildarts put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and began to lead him through the crowd, answering various questions about his journey along the way. Finally they stopped in front of a bar in the back of the hall where a very old man sat. He was mostly bald with a white hair that wrapped around his head above his ears. Most notably was the man's height. He must have been the same size as Ichigo, maybe even a little shorter.

"Welcome back Gildarts. Did you have a successful trip?"

"Well sort of. The job ended up being a hoax, just some bandits posing as a dark guild."

"Well even if the job was a joke, it's good to know that there wasn't another active dark guild praying on the innocents."

"Yeah I agree. However the more interesting result of my trip is right here." Gildarts pushed Ichigo towards the master. "Master Makarov, I'd like for you to meet Ichigo."

The short man scrutinized Ichigo for a moment before smirking up at Gildarts. "So couldn't keep it in your pants huh?"

"He's not mine you old geezer! I found him alone out in the forest." Gildarts tone became rather serious. "In fact that's something I need to talk to you about. Privately."

"Hmm alright we'll speak in my office." He glanced down at Ichigo again before looking around the guild. "Cana, would come over here please."

At the master's call a young brunette girl, who looked to be relatively close to Ichigo's age, walked over to their group. She had her hair back in a ponytail, and wore a yellow sundress.

"What do you need master?" she asked once she was standing next to them.

"Cana this is Ichigo" she glanced at the young boy the master was pointing at. "He's new here and doesn't know anyone yet. Would you mind showing him around the guild?"

"Uh sure." And with that the two children began to walk away

"So the master said your name is Ichigo, but we haven't had a proper introduction." Cana said turning to Ichigo and extending her hand out to him. "I'm Cana Alberona."

He hesitantly took her hand "I… Ichigo Kurosaki."

"So Ichigo, what brings you to Fairy Tail?" she asked with a small smile.

"Well" he thought for a moment before responding. "I was lost out in the woods and Gildarts found me and brought me here."

At his words Cana frowned a little bit. "Well why did he bring you here? Why didn't he help you try to get back to where you live or find your family?"

Ichigo was slow to respond. He wasn't sure if he should tell this girl what really happened. It was a pretty unbelievable story, and he didn't want her to think he was crazy. So he decided to tell half the truth

"My family isn't here." Which if you took him literally was entirely true. "And I don't have anywhere to go" also true considering it was impossible for him to get home at the moment

Cana looked ashamed and quickly apologized "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't want you to think I don't think you should be here"

"It's okay. You meant well by it"

Quickly trying to salvage the conversation, Cana tried to make small talk. "So… How old are you Ichigo?"

"I'm 9 years old, but my birthday is in 6 days." Ichigo's mood becoming noticeably happier with the thought of how soon his birthday was.

"Oh wow that's cool. We will have to get a cake." Cana smiled again. "I'm seven, but I'll be eight in a few months."

The two began to casually walk around the guild taking about this and that before they ended up next to a board with lots of papers pinned to it.

"And this is the request board. This is where the requests are placed so that mages can easily find one that suits them. So" she turned to face Ichigo "what kind of magic do you use?"

"Well I just use sword magic for now."

"haha I could have guessed that much from that big sword on your back." Cana teased

"Yeah well I only started learning how to use magic a few weeks ago, so it's the only one I know for now. What's wrong with my sword?" Ichigo asked slightly annoyed. The old man had taught him to take pride in his sword

"Nothing besides the fact that it's as long as you are tall." She continued to giggle "Can you even swing it?"

Ichigo decided to deflect the conversation before she could tease him more. "Oh yeah, well what kind of magic do you use?"

"I use card magic. Right now I mostly just do things like card readings. It's not the most powerful style of magic but I like it all the same." Cana stated proudly

And so the two children began to get to know one another, unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching them carefully.

* * *

><p>With the master and Gildarts<p>

"Hmm" Makarov hummed as he was lost in thought. "You say you saw him in a burned out crater? Before you found him was there a large flash of light?"

"Yes. Are you saying things like this are common?" Gildarts asked slightly confused

"Hardly." The old man grunted. "While events such as this are known to happen, they only occur once every century or so. There have only been two such occurrences, this one notwithstanding, since the days of Zeref"

"Is there anything we can do to send him back?"

"….. I'm afraid not. It is said that not even the most powerful, and experienced mages understand how portals to other worlds are opened, or why. And we have even less understanding in how to open one ourselves. I'm sorry, but the boy is likely trapped in our world for the rest of his natural life."

"He's not gonna take this news well." Gildarts frowned. He knew Ichigo had gone through hell even before he got here. This news could send him into a spiraling depression.

"Yes. He will need new friends, a new family to help him through this. How far have you gotten in teaching him magic?"

"Well, he knows how to control his power for the most part, although he can't stop it from flowing out around him. And he knows some of the basics of sword magic. He has incredible potential."

"Well it would appear that he is getting along with our little Cana quite well. I'm sure he will fit in very well here."

"So you intend to take him in?"

"Of course! Let it never be said that Fairy Tail turned their back on someone in need of help."

"Alright well let's go break the news then"

* * *

><p>Back with Ichigo and Cana.<p>

"Haha wow Cana your card magic is pretty neat." Ichigo laughed along with the girl as the two continued to play.

"Thanks Ichigo, although it's not as powerful as your sword magic." She smiled at the compliment

The two continued to giggle until they saw the master and Gildarts approaching them.

"It's good to see you children getting along so well." The master said as he hopped up into the booth beside them. "I hate to interrupt your fun, but there is the matter of how you came to this world."

Ichigo's smile instantly fell, replaced by what would one day become known as his trademark scowl.

"I am truly sorry Ichigo, but never before has someone who arrived from another world the way you did, been able to return to where they came from. I know this is hard to hear, but there is no know way for you to return to your world." Makarov said dryly.

Ichigo looked down at the floor, his eyes distant as if in deep thought. "That's okay."

'Okay that's not the answer I expected' Gildarts thought shocked.

Ichigo continued. "I kinda figured as much." He said with tone of someone who was utterly defeated.

Cana meanwhile was lost. 'He… came from another world?' "Wait. So when you said that your family wasn't here… Oh Ichigo I'm so sorry."

"I said it's alright." Ichigo mumbled getting up from his seat. "Thanks for trying to help me." With that he turned and began to walk away.

"And just where do you think you're going young man?" Makarov's voice called out.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks and turned to face the old man, the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

"Just because we can't help you get home doesn't mean that we can't give you a new home here. Fairy Tail may be strange and new to you, but we are a family. As a family we look out for each other and anyone who is in need of our help. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, we are always willing to accept new members into this family of ours."

"Why would you want me in your family? You barely know me." Ichigo asked

"Well I for one would like to change that." The master said with a smile. "It would be my honor to get to know you, and watch to see what kind of man you will grow up to be."

Now it was Cana's turn to speak up "Oh please Ichigo. Fairy Tail is a lot of fun and you won't find any guild as close to one another as we are." She pleaded with the boy. "If you stay I'll show you more of my card magic."

"I don't know…" he mumbled out 'What do you think we should do old man?' Ichigo asked his inner guide.

'_I cannot make this decision for you Ichigo. I believe that these are good people who truly wish to help you make a new life here, however if you should decide not to stay then I will not think any differently of you. The choice is yours.'_

Well that settled it. If the old man thought they were decent enough, then he supposed he could give them a chance.

"Alright." Ichigo finally spoke. Everyone was looking at him awaiting his answer. "I'll join Fairy Tail."

"Then let me be the first to welcome you into our family Ichigo." Master Makarov said with a big smile

"Yay I just know you'll like it here" Cana said.

"Well, I guess that just leaves one thing" Gildarts, who had been rather quiet throughout the conversation, finally spoke up. "Where do you want your guild mark?"

Ichigo stopped and thought before pulling up the sleeve on his left shoulder.

"Can I get it here in black?"

And with that stamp Ichigo's life as a Fairy Tail wizard began.

* * *

><p>Slowly, a little over a year went by. During this time Ichigo learned much about the world he was in. for a while he would go on jobs with Cana and one of the older members would accompany them. Eventually as his powers became strong enough, he started to take jobs by himself. They were never anything too serious or far away, but they were enough for him to afford food and clothes.<p>

It was during this year that the old man saw fit to trust him with a little bit more information about who the old man really was. Ichigo had been shocked when he had heard the man say that he was a part of Ichigo's soul made for combat. The sword that he had carried with him all this time, turned out to be a physical manifestation of the old man. While this was still incredibly confusing, the fact that Ichigo had thought his sword was growing started to make since. The old man said that his sword was growing along with him so that it will always fit him.

Once this knowledge was uncovered, The old man began to teach him new techniques like how to jump higher and how to use him magic energy to make his attacks stronger. His favorite however, was when he gathered energy in the sword and it exploded outward. He wasn't very good at getting much power into it before it released itself, and once it did he couldn't control it, but he thought it looked really cool when he did it.

Master Makarov had given Ichigo advice on learning another type of magic once he had gotten the hang of sword magic. The master suggested requip magic as it would allow him to have various types of swords instead of just the one. Ichigo declined saying that he only needed his sword. This had made the master curious but he decided not to question the boy.

Despite all of this, it was not a happy year for the young boy. It was hard for Ichigo to become accustomed to his life in Fairy Tail. He had gone through so much hurt and it caused him to become distant and closed off from other people. He hadn't started going on jobs alone to get the reward all to himself like the others thought. He had actually done it to get time away from the others. Even while he was in the guild, he could often be found sitting alone off in a corner.

Thoughts of his mother's fate and wondering how his family was doing without him constantly at the forefront of his mind. What did they think happened to him? Did they miss him? Did they blame him for what happened? If they did then they were probably glad he was gone. These thoughts continued for a while, until one day he met someone new.

"Hey Ichigo." Cana called, walking up to the table he had been reading at.

Ichigo looked up from the dusty old book at the girl who had spoken. "What is it Cana?"

"Did you hear? A new kid is joining the guild today. He's over with the master now. He looks like he's close to our age."

Ichigo looked in the direction of the bar. Sure enough there was a young man talking to the master. He looked like he was a couple inches shorter than Ichigo and maybe a year or two younger. The boy had short spikey black hair and wore clothes that looked far too warm for Magnolia's weather.

"Do you know where he's from?" Ichigo asked. It wasn't often that they got new members. And Ichigo and Cana were the only children. It could be nice to have a boy his age to talk to

"I think I heard him say he was from somewhere far up north." Cana said her expression dropping a bit "he also said something about a demon that killed his family. That's why he's here alone?"

'He lost his family too.' Ichigo could relate to the boys pain. They both knew the hurt of losing what was precious to them.

"Hey, you're Cana and Ichigo right?" Ichigo was pulled from his thoughts when the boy suddenly addressed them. "I'm Gray."

Cana was the first to react "Hi Gray. Its nice to meet you. It isn't often that we get someone our age in the guild" she said cheerily

Ichigo didn't say anything for a moment. This kid had just lost his family right? So how did he look so… happy?

'His eyes, there's no sadness in them. Like he's unaffected by the loss of his family.' Ichigo thought to himself

"Are you gonna introduce yourself or just stare at me?" Gray asked annoyed

"Sorry. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

"You'll have to forgive him Gray. Ichigo isn't the most social." Cana explained

"Gray Fulbuster." He said almost ignoring Cana and extending his hand out to Ichigo

He hesitated at first but took the boys hand "Well We're glad to have you in our guild Gray." Cana said "I'll go grab some drinks." And with that she walked away from the table.

Gray and Ichigo just looked at each other both analyzing the kid before them. Finally Gray spoke up "When did you lose them?"

Ichigo was a bit surprised "Lose who?"

"Whoever it was that was important to you. I know that look." Gray stated. "I use to see those same eyes in the mirror."

Ichigo waited before he replied. So this kid really had suffered the way he had. He was either just really good at hiding his sorrow, or…

"I'm not from this world." Ichigo blurted out. Gray was thrown off a bit but Ichigo continued to speak. "I was sent here on the night that my mother died. The rest of my family, my friends, none of them probably even think im still alive."

It was strange that he had opened up to this newcomer. Nobody outside Gildarts, the master, and Cana knew about his past. Perhaps it was because he believed that Gray understood him, what he had gone through.

"Wow. That's pretty hard to believe, ya know that right?"

"Well it's the truth. I don't care if you believe it or not." Ichigo said coldly

"I said it was hard to believe, not that I don't believe you." Gray said

"What about you? What happened to your family"

And so Gray told the story of how his village had been attacked by a demon called Deliora. He had lost his family in the attack, but he had been found and trained by a woman named Ur. When he talked about his mentor his eyes lit up a little, until he told about how Ur had sacrificed herself to save him from Deliora and seal the demon away.

Ichigo sat and pondered his story. He had heard about the destruction that demons could bring. But how? How could Gray seem so normal after something like that?

"How do you move on from that?" Ichigo asked

Gray thought for a moment before smiling "You find something else worth living for."

Ichigo looked down at the table. 'Something else? Where would I find something else protect?'

Before Ichigo could wallow any more the old man interrupted him _"Look around you Ichigo. Is this place not your new home?'_

Ichigo took a look around the guild. He could see all the smiling faces of his guildmates. Many of them had made efforts to help him find a new home.

"_Is this place not your family now? Aren't they worth protecting?"_

Ichigo smiled as he looked back up

"Well?' Gray asked

"Well what?" Ichigo asked

"Well are you done moping? Cana's coming."

"Haha yeah…. Thanks Gray. I think I needed to hear that."

"What are you boys taking about?" Cana asked

"Oh nothing just boy stuff." Ichigo said with a smirk

Cana began to demand to know what they were talking about while the two boys just continued to laugh. Soon the hall was filled with the sounds of children's laughter and everyone's mood seeming to rise with the wondrous sound.

* * *

><p><strong>AN ** Hey all I'm back with another chapter. I was going to try and post new ones on a weekly basis, buuuuuttt MS word decided that the the first 3/4 of this chapter weren't good enough and made me rewrite it :(

Anyway nothing to really to add on to the end here. i got some good responses to the first chapter and i really appreciate all the reviews and it would be awesome if they continued _hint hint _

until next chapter, this is Bruised Knuckles signing off.


	3. The Strawberry meets The Knight

**Chapter 3 The Strawberry meets the Knight**

Ichigo and Gray walked along the dirt trail through the woods on the way back from their last job, with their pockets empty.

They had thought it was a simple enough job. They just needed to Chase away some critters that had been eating all of a farmers crops. It hadn't gone quite as planned. The little creatures turned out to be smarter than the two preteens and tricked them into attacking each other in the dark. By the end of it all of the crops were either gone or destroyed by the boys. It goes without saying that the farmer was… less than pleased.

And so their reward had been denied and now the two boys grumpily walked back to the guild in a tense silence. Ichigo being a bit more level headed had quickly gotten over blaming Gray for their screw up and had realized that if they hadn't fought then maybe they wouldn't have failed.

Gray on the other hand was still grumbling about Ichigo being a dumb strawberry, though he would never say it to the boy's face after what happened last time.

It had taken all of Cana's might to pull his head out of the wall.

The trees began to clear and the dirt path was replaced by the brick road as their home town came into view. The trip had been far away and though both would claim they were "too old for that" they had both been feeling a little homesick.

"Man I can't wait to get a real cooked meal in me." Ichigo said excitedly

Gray nodded in agreement. "Yeah and a hot shower and a soft bed." The boy quickly hung his head. "so who's telling the master that we failed?"

Ichigo shivered. He knew that the master wouldn't be angry or yell at them, but he would lecture them on how their immaturity got the better of them or something like that, and worst of all, he would be disappointed. That made him feel worse than if the master yelled at them.

"I think we should do it together since we both screwed up." Ichigo states matter of factly.

"Yeah…" Gray trailed off "Hey I'm sorry about saying it was all your fault. I was just really mad that those stupid things made us look so… stupid."

"It's alright I shouldn't have gotten so mad either." Ichigo said as they walked through the streets of magnolia.

As they approached the guild they felt their moods lift a little at the usual sound of their rowdy guild mates on the other side of the large wooden doors.

"You know I bet if we ran now master would never know…" Gray whispered

"Maybe we can move away and change our names…"

Ichigo couldn't finish his sentence as the doors opened and a tall teen with spiky blonde hair came out

"Oh hey shrimps, I didn't know you two were back in town." Loxus sneered down at the pair

"Hey Loxus." The two boys said together in monotonous tones. They had never liked Loxus s he was a bit of a bully

Thankfully they didn't have to put up with him long as a voice called for them to come inside. Stepping around the tall blonde they made their way to the bar where the voice had called them, and right up to the one person they were afraid of more than Loxus.

Master Makarov.

And a redhead girl?

Ichigo immediately jumped at the chance to stall delivering the bad news. "Hey master. Who's this?"

"Hello boys. I'm glad you asked." He said as the girl turned around to look at them.

She had long scarlet red hair and deep brown eyes. She wore what looked like it was once a plain white sundress, however it was now tattered and filthy. There was dirt all over her and her dress was stained all shades of brown…and a few dark maroon.

"This is Erza Scarlet. Erza, This is Ichigo Kurosaki, and Gray Fulbuster."

"Hello" she said neutrally

"Hi. It's nice to meet you Erza" Gray said

"Are you here to join the guild?" Ichigo questioned.

Before she could answer, the master intervened. "Now now boys she's only just got here and she has had a very long trip." He paused "Speaking of trips how did your job go?"

The boys faces became noticeably paler. "uh ummm. The job?" Gray stammered

Makarov narrowed his eyes. "Yes. I was hoping to show Erza an example of what kind of mages we have here. Surely the two of you haven't done anything…..foolish have you?"

To the two boys it seemed as if the air around them had gotten colder as they shivered.

"Uh well. You see… we sorta…messed up just a little bit." Ichigo said now shaking in fear.

"how?'

And so Ichigo and Gray took turns retelling the events of their trip, from their journey there, to the specifics of the job, and finally finishing on their fight and how they did more harm than good.

'These boys seem…strange' Erza thought as she watched the two ramble on out of fear.

"I see." Makarov said darkly "I apologize Erza. I did not plan for you to have to see these boys make such fools of themselves."

He unfolded his arms before lifting them over his head "Gray, Ichigo. The two of you have failed to keep your promise to the client and you have brought shame to Fairy Tail with your actions."

'Here it comes'

'We're dead, we are so gonna die'

'What is he intending to do to them?'

Makarov brought his hands down fast and smacked the two boys on the tops of their heads.

"Bad!" he shouted "Now go get cleaned up. Im sure Erza is tired of smelling you two. I know i am."

"Uh wait. That's it? You aren't going to feed us to the hounds?" Gray mutters.

"hmmm while I am angry and disappointed, I am aslo very understanding."

The boys began to get confused.

"No matter how mature the two of you might try to act, the fact is that you are just a couple of rowdy pubescent young men. It is only natural for you to have friendly little fights with each other from time to time, and your hormones have a mind of their own." Makarov said letting himself grin. "Now I'm serious. Go shower. You reek."

Not giving the old man a chance to change his mind, the two boys ran off to the showers

Erza was confused. Why had the master been so light on them? And why were they so terrified of him?

"Sir, why didn't you punish them mare strictly?" The young girl asked

Makarov chuckled. "Because, I'm almost certain that they spent their entire trip back wallowing in their guilt and giving each other their own versions of any lecture that I might have given them." He looked down at Erza from the bar before continuing. "You could see for yourself that they were truly ashamed of their mistake, but they have learned from it. They will do better next time."

Erza looked around the guild. Where she had come from she was accustomed to expecting the harshest of punishments for the smallest of mistakes. She looked around at the smiles around her. It seemed like nobody had even noticed the boys' punishment. 'Maybe this truly is a safe place like grandfather said.'

* * *

><p>A couple of months go by and very little of much interest had happened. It was a strangely quiet day in the guild. Ichigo is sitting at a table in the corner reading a book about the different types of plants found in the area surrounding Magnolia. He had found that he really liked learning about the world he found himself in. The sound of metal clinking roused him from the lines of text. He looked up and saw Erza walking across the guild.<p>

Erza had taking quickly to wearing armor at all times, and had even began to get into sword magic a bit.

She made him curious. He hardly knew anything about her. In fact nobody knew anything about her aside from the fact that she was very strict and serious, and that she had a thing for cake. This sorta bothered him. The guild was a family, and while he wasn't very close with most of them, he at least could put a real identity to all of their faces. He felt bad that after two months he couldn't say that he knew who Erza really was.

Erza turned her head and noticed him looking at her. Ichigo decided that this is a good time to try to remedy his problem. He quickly gets up and walks over to where she had stopped.

"Hey Erza. What are you up to today?" he asked politely

"I was hoping to see the master about something, but it seems he isn't here." She says, her expression blank

"What did you need to talk to him about?" Ichigo asks genuinely curious.

"Nothing, it's unimportant." She says as she walks to a table close by. She is a little annoyed that Ichigo follows her, sitting across the table from her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Ichigo hesitated a little "Uh well, I was just thinking that you've been here a couple of months, and I don't really know all that much about you."

"Why do you need to know about me?' Erza asked cautiously.

Ichigo missed the warning tone in her voice and kept going "Well we are about the same age, at least I think we are, so I was hoping we could be better friends." Ending with a small smile

Erza didn't respond. She was on guard. It was difficult for her to trust others and she intended to keep as much about herself secret as she could.

Ichigo waited and asked "Well… how old are you?"

She thought before she determined that the information would be pretty useless to him if he was tricking her "I'm 11."

Ichigo smiled "Well I'm 12. You're the closest kid to my age here, that's cool"

Erza rolls her eyes "so what?"

Ichigo was a bit dumbstruck. "Uh well it is just nice to have someone more my own age to talk to. Sometimes with Gray and Cana I feel like I'm hanging out with little kids"

'Makes since I guess' Erza admitted to herself.

"What kind of food do you like?"

"I like strawberry cake." She said emotionlessly

For the hundredth time that day it seemed, Ichigo was confused by her answer "Uh well like, what do you eat for your regular meals?"

"I eat a lot of cake, but I guess for dinner I sort of just eat whatever they have here."

"You mostly eat cake?"

"Yes. What's wrong with that?"

"Ummm well cake is normally just for desert or a special occasions"

Erza lets her lips twitch just a little bit towards a smile "Isn't every day we are alive a special occasion?"

That wasn't what Ichigo expected. "Well yeah I suppose. So where do you come from?"

Erza froze. Clearly Ichigo had asked the wrong question. 'What did I say?'

"If you don't want to…."

"im sorry Ichigo. I have to go." She swiftly got up and began to walk out of the guild.

"Erza wait!" but she was already gone. He knew that there must have been something about her past that was hurtful for her. He knew that well. She had been looking like she was uncomfortable talking about herself.

'I should go after her and make this right'

'_Leave her be for now Ichigo.'_

'But maybe I can help her. We both have troubled pasts. If I talk to her about mine maybe she will..' Ichigo replied to the old man

'_Give her some time to get used to trusting people before you bring up her past again.'_

'well… alright'

Ending his conversation with the old man he walked over and sat at the bar waiting for Gray to get back from his job. The two had become close enough, but they also both understood that the other liked his privacy. They often took jobs alone or gray would go with Cana sometimes. This left Ichigo with a lot of time to himself every now and then.

'Man I was really hoping to hit it off with Erza. It would be nice to have someone to play with on these slow days' Ichigo thought to himself as he laid his chin on the wood of the bar.

"Why the long face my boy?"

The sudden question startles him and he looks up to see the master sitting next to him. He hadn't even noticed when the man had gotten there

Ichigo looks back where he had been staring "Nothing really, im just really bored. Theres nobody to play with right now. Gray and Cana are on a job and I think I got Erza mad at me."

"What could you have done to get her mad at you?" Makarov asked. He could be a little bit rowdy sometimes, but Ichigo was a very caring and thoughtful individual. He didn't believe that the boy could have upset someone.

"Well I was asking her stuff, trying to get to know her. It was going well until I asked her where she's from"

Oh so that was is. "Ichigo. Erza has had a very hard life. It is not something she wishes to remember, and she would have to do so to tell you about it."

Ichigo nodded listening to the master. He had learned that behind the grin and the childish and sometimes perverted antics, the master was a very wise and thoughtful man.

"What Erza needs is not someone to understand her past. No, she needs us to help her move forward and make a better future" Makarov smiled at Ichigo "Next time maybe instead of getting to know her, try telling her about yourself"

From the back of the guild came the sound of the doors opening and Gray and Cana stroll into the room. Ichigo got up and rushed up to them

"Hey guys how was your job?" he asked with a smile…

* * *

><p>It had been a few days since Ichigo last spoke to Erza and it seemed like she had been avoiding him, which made him a little sad. He wanted to try to fix it with her but he gave her her space like the master had suggested. He hoped she would feel better soon but he didn't get his hopes up.<p>

He was currently sitting with Cana as they played a little game she had taught him with her cards. It was a pretty simple game but Ichigo was having trouble focusing today.

"Ichigo" Cana asked with a small voice. "What's bugging you?"

"Hmm nothing. Why would you think something was wrong?" Ichigo said trying to hide the truth

Cana wasn't buying it. "Well I just beat you for the 5th time in a row and you don't even seem to notice."

Ichigo blushes not having realized that they had played more than one game "Oh wow r really? Hehe I guess I'm just a little out of it, but it's nothing"

"You think we are gonna buy that bullshit?"

"Gray?" Cana turned and asked the young man.

"I know exactly whats bugging our strawberry here."

"What did you just say snowflake?!" Ichigo retorted. He hated when people made fun of him for the wrong meaning of his name.

"You heard me. I know exactly why you're acting like a little cry baby."

"Oh and what might that be." Ichigo asked his temper rising

Cana just picked up her cards and scooted a bit away. She knew the boys well enough to know to get away from the coming storm

"Well she's got red hair and walks around like she's heading to a battle all the time. You've been staring at her for days."

"Hey don't talk about Erza like that."

"Oh yeah? You her boyfriend?"

"…excuse me?" Ichigo said dumbfounded

"Are you deaf? You're crushing on her hardcore dumbass."

"Rrrr you stupid snowman!" Ichigo shouted as he lunged Gray and it wasn't long before the two boys were rolling around on the floor

"ugh boys" Cana sighed rolling her eyes at the two

Little did the three now, that the subject of the two's argument had begun to walk over. None of them noticed until she spoke up

"What are they fighting about?" Erza asked.

Cana turned her attention to the red-head "Oh who knows. They're boys, they fight for no reason"

"Hmm" Erza thought for a moment as the two continued their scuffle until Ichigo threw Gray out the doors.

"That'll teach you snow boy. Come back and try that again when you grow some muscles!" Ichigo shouted to a dazed Gray before noticing Erza looking at him sternly.

"Ichigo. I was hoping to talk to you."

Ichigo blushed. He felt like an idiot getting into a brawl with Gray, letting the raven haired boy push his buttons. "oh okay, umm. We can go sit if you want."

"I'd rather not speak in public." Erza said a bit more quietly

Ichigo realized that this must have been important and thought before speaking. "okay I know somewhere we can go. Follow me"

Erza nodded and with that the two walked out of the guild

They walked in silence as Ichigo led Erza out of the city to a small clearing in the forest.

Erza looked around her. There were scrape marks in the trunks of many of the trees and a few rocks of varying sizes that looked like they didn't belong. On the far side there looked to be a makeshift bench and table. 'What does he do here?'

"so what do you think?" Ichigo asks

Erza looks around a bit more "What is this place?"

Ichigo smiles proudly. "It's my training ground"

'that explains all the cuts on the trees.'

"I brought those rocks here from the river bed to use as weights, and I use the logs to practice my swings." Ichigo continues. "I made that table so I had somewhere to rest"

The two walk over to the table and sit down. Ichigo had only built one bench so they were forced to sit next to each other.

When Erza had first intended to try to talk to Ichigo her resolve had been solid, but now that they were here she felt her nerves getting the better of her. It was a long silence before Ichigo spoke up

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked

"Did you really want to be my friend?" she blurted out 'Oh crap. Ugh I meant to ease into that one.'

"Well… to be honest I really did just think that it would be nice to have a friend around my own age." Ichigo answered truthfully "I saw how you always sat by yourself and figured maybe you'd want to be friends."

'Well it sounds like he's being honest.' She thought. "I'm sorry I ran off the other day. I'm just not ready to talk about my past again. It brings memories that are too painful."

"no im sorry Erza." Ichigo said looking at the red-head. "I know how hard it can be to think of the past if it was painful."

Erza could see that he was being truthful. She made to speak before he continued.

"Has anyone told you of where I come from?"

Erza shook her head. She didn't talk to others in the guild much so she wasn't prepared for what he said next.

"Well even if they had, most of them would be lying to you without knowing it. The truth is, I'm not from this world." Ichigo paused letting it sink in "Gray, Cana, the master, and Gildarts are the only ones who know."

And so Ichigo told his sad tale of how he had been attacked, of how he had lost his mother. He told of how Gildarts had taken him to the master and he had learned that he could never go back. He ended on how he had grieved for the loss of everything he had ever known.

Speechless. That would be the world she would choose for her reaction. This boy in front of her seemed so different than the scowling rambunctious boy from the guild. His head was bent low and the shadow of his hair hid his eyes. She could tell he was hurting, and what surprised her more, was that she was feeling sorrow for him. A lone tear fell from her left eye

Ichigo looked up realizing she hadn't said anything and looked at her to notice her sad expression before she blushed and looked away. He quickly dried his eyes and sat up.

"Sorry haha, I kinda lose focus when I talk about this." He mumbled

Erza looked down at the table "It's okay I doubt that was easy…..why would you tell me that?" she asked confused

"Well I realized it wasn't fair of me to expect you to tell me about your past, if I hadn't even told you about mine." Ichigo admitted.

Erza was surprised that he had been so thoughtful. "Well.. um thank you I guess. I'm sorry about what happened to you." She said with a bit of a frown.

"It's okay. Nothing anyone can to do change it. All I can do is move forward." He said smiling. "Now that's enough of this depressing talk. I see you favor a sword."

Erza looked at the sword on her hip and then back up to the massive one he had over his back "Yes but clearly not as much as you." She said "Why do you choose to use such a large sword? Surely its hard to control."

Ichigo chuckled "Oh that's right I didn't tell you about the old man" he said as he pulled his blade off his resting place on his shoulder.

"What" Erza asked once again confused.

Ichigo began to tell her of how his sword was actually a part of his soul and was the physical existence of an old man that was also part of him and lived in his head.

'Okay this kid is insane' Erza thought

"I know you probably don't believe me but I can't' really prove it." Ichigo stated, scratching the back of his head

"Of course I don't believe you. Swords aren't alive." Erza said a little annoyed.

'_she does not trust her sword Ichigo.'_

"Yes they are. They are meant to be a part of us, not just tools. This is true for any sword."

"What do you mean?" Erza asked cautiously.

Ichigo grinned. "Spar with me. If I win, you agree to let me teach you about swords."

Erza grabbed the hilt of the sword at her hip "And when I win?"

He shrugged, "What do you want?"

Erza thought before she smiled. "You have to buy me cake whenever I want, for a month."

"Deal" Ichigo grinned

They got up from the table and walked to opposite ends of the training field.

"Before we start, wrap your magic energy around your sword to dull the blade. This may be a fight but we don't want to kill each other." Ichigo instructed.

Erza did as she was told and took her stance. She waited as Ichigo examined her. She didn't like how he was looking at her and decided to fix it. She charged at him only to see his sword come sweeping towards the leg she was about to land on.

'He's good' she thought. Stopping herself short she rolled to the side and was able to barely escape the long reach of Ichigo's swing.

Ichigo brought himself back into his starting stance and waited. 'She can at least adapt on the move, but her grip is all wrong.

Erza charged at him again, although this time it was much more controlled. She swung intending to strike him diagonally across the chest but his sword met with the strike and its weight halted her smaller blade. She turned and struck again, this time aiming for just under his ribs. Yet again his sword stopped hers

'Whats going on? His sword is too big for him to maneuver in such close range. I should have the advantage.' Erza thought as she backed off.

As if he had read her mind Ichigo answered "Youre grip is all wrong. You're holding your sword too tight."

"What do you mean. I have to hold it tight or I'll lose my grip" Erza shouted back

"yeah, but you are holding it too tight. It causes you to be too rigid and you can't move your sword as well. That's how im still out maneuvering you even though my sword is twice the size of yours."

Erza thought before she loosened her hold on the sword. This time when she took her stance, it was Ichigo who went on the offensive. She dodged as best she could. But when he sent a horizontal swing to her shoulder, she was forced to block. Or at least she tried to block.

Upon impact the sword in her hand flew from her grip and landed several feet away

"See I told you!" Erza yelled as she rolled away

"No you just overcompensated and loosened too much. You need to find a balance. Hold onto it enough so that you don't lose it, but don't strangle it either." Ichigo looked at her and he was reminded of when the old man had taught him a similar lesson and he had the same look on his face then that Erza had now.

As she had recovered her sword, Erza tested a few different grips and gave a few practice swings. She looked up and noticed Ichigo was distracted so she took the opportunity to move in close.

The orange haired boy snapped out of it just in time to block a swipe intended for his legs. As their blades collided Ichigo could tell that this is where the real fight would begin. He smiled. This would be fun

From the beginning it was obvious that he was the better swordsman, but Erza would not accept defeat easily. She proved to be very keen on using her advantage in speed against him. She had managed to land a few hits on him. While he hadn't managed to hit her as much, it was clear that each of his strikes were doing far more damage.

After a while they had broken off. Erza was tired. Her breathing was heavy and her body ached in the various places that Ichigo's large weapon had struck her, even if the blade was magically dulled, it still hurt like hell to get hit with. She looked up.

'Dammit! I know I"m doing some damage, but it looks like he is just shrugging it off!'

While it was true she had managed to hurt him, the fact was, that Ichigo was simply more accustomed to fighting and was stronger than her. 'With a little practice she could be damn good.' He thought

Finally the two took their stances. Erza could feel her forearms crying in pain as she lifted her sword. She would likely only have the strength to block that giant blade once more before her arms gave out.

She couldn't focus on the pain though. She had a month of cake riding on this and she was going to get it.

She charged him, sword raised. Ichigo knew she was pushing herself to the limits. He had to end this before she went too far. He raised his sword up over his head.

Erza saw the move and brought her sword up to block, but then something unexpected happened.

When Ichigo had brought his blade down, she instantly felt it strike her collarbone and throw her to the ground.

'What? But I should have blocked that.' She thought as she felt the pain in her shoulder. Looking down in her hand she was amazed.

Her sword had broken. Not as if it had been shattered, or if it had caved under the stress. No. the edge was clean and smooth.

'He cut through it? What kind of sword can do that?' she watched as Ichigo walked up to her and offered her his hand. She took it and winced as he pulled her up.

"Sorry. I didn't mean for that last one to hurt so bad." Ichigo stood wobbly, clearly exhausted. "I guess I put more into it than I thought."

The two tiredly tried to walk back to the bench before they fell on the grass laughing

"Thanks Ichigo, that was…surprisingly fun." Erza said as she laid on the soft grass.

Ichigo looked up to the clouds in the sky. "Yeah it was. I don't really get to fight with other sword users, mostly just Gray and his Ice." Ichigo chuckled out

It was quiet for a while as the two rested on the grass. "How did you do that?"

"What do you mean Erza?"

Erza became serious. "How did you cut my sword?"

Ichigo thought for a moment trying to find the right words. "I already told you I share a special bond with my sword."

"yeah the old man in your head who also happens to be your sword." Erza rolled her eyes sarcastically

Before either of them said another word the sword in Ichigo's hand began to glow with a bright blue aura. Erza couldn't speak, unsure of what was happening. She stared at the blade, it was almost s if it was….growling.

Ichigo spoke up, but his words weren't directed at Erza. "Stop it old man, she just doesn't know you yet." Ichigo finally looked up to see the shock on Erza's face.

"Sorry, the old man said he likes you but he get's really mad when you make fun of him." Ichigo said gesturing to the sword as the energy died down.

'His sword was mad at me? No that's impossible, his sword couldn't really be alive. Could it?'

She had to ask "Ichigo, are you really telling me the truth? Is your sword really alive?"

Ichigo smiled and nodded. "Back to what I was saying, I share a special connection with my sword, but even if i didn't, I was able to cut your sword because I trust and respect mine, and you simply viewed yours as a tool."

Erza thought for a moment. What was he trying to get at with this?

"Even if your sword doesn't talk to you and live in your head, you still have to treat it as your partner. Otherwise it will fail you against a blade like mine whose owner trusts it."

Erza was a little ashamed of herself. Even if his story was crazy, he was right. She relied on her sword to keep her safe and to work when she needed it to, but she didn't even trust it. She looked at the broken blade in her hand. She felt bad that she had let him cut it.

"I guess I should get a new one…." She whispered

"Don't worry about that. I was the one who broke it after all. Besides I want to make sure you get a sword that can stand up to training against me and the old man." Ichigo chuckled

Erza only just remembered their bet. "Damn, I was looking forward to having free cake."

The two chuckled as the clouds passed overhead.

* * *

><p>Back at the guild<p>

"Where are those two? The sun is going to be going down soon." Cana said worried as she held the ice pack against the forehead of a certain ice make wizard

"Who cares? That jerk threw me through the doors." Gray complained.

Cana rolled her eyes. "Oh come on you were antagonizing him."

Just then they saw the doors slide open and the sunset could clearly be seen through them, silhouetting two small figures walking through the doors

Cana squinted to see better "Oh! Ichigo. Erza. I couldn't tell it was you. Both of your hair is the same color as the sun." She laughed until she saw the state the two were in

Gray noticed as well "What the hell happened to you two?"

Ichigo chuckled and scratched the back of his head "We were just doing a bit of training."

Erza followed his response, although much more calmly. "I was simply testing Ichigo's skills with his blade. He proved to be a bit too much for me."

"Ichigo you beat up the new girl!" Cana shouted

Ichigo threw his arms up and waved them in defense. "Hey hey hey it's not like that! She beat me up a bit too."

Cana wasn't buying it and kept her glare fixed on the orange haired teen. As they continued to bicker the master walked up to the group.

"Well did you learn anything from our little strawberry Erza?" the master asked with a big smile

Erza looked at the man who stood just level with her chin. "Um well yes. Ichigo showed me how I needed to trust my sword and care for it like its my friend, otherwise it will fail me." She finished by showing off the cut end of her sword.

"And you broke her sword?!" Cana shouted

"I told her I'd buy her another one!" Ichigo groaned and walked past Cana "Anyway master, are there any jobs that Erza and I could go on?"

The master looked up. Ichigo had grown taller over the past couple years since he had joined. "Oh. Are the two of you forming a team?"

Erza answered his question "Yes. We thought it would be good to train and work with each other since we both use swords."

"Well I think we have a goblin infestation that could use your attention. So what's the name of this little team?"

They thought for a moment. It wasn't something they hadn't spent time thinking about. They were stumped. As the silence became a little awkward Gray spoke up

"What about Team Sunset?"

Ichigo looked at him with a confused expression "Why Sunset?"

Cana chirped up "Oh yeah! Cause the colors of your hair are like the colors of the sunset!"

"Hmm. I like it." Erza said looking over to Ichigo

Said boy put his hand to his chin before he smiled. "Haha alright its better than any of my ideas."

"Team sunset it is." Makarov said

Little did any of them know that the name would soon become known across the land.

* * *

><p><strong>AN **well there you have it, the third installment in the Knight and the Strawberry. I really had fun righting this chapter since it let me start to flesh out some of the ways the main characters are going to interact with one another. If you havent noticed yet, Cana is going to be a more prominent character than she is in canon. Now on to answer a few questions.

Firstly there was some confusion on the kids ages. From now on i will try to remember and list their ages at the ends of the chapters until the timeline slows down.

Ichigo-12

Erza- 11

Gray and Cana-10

Second, i was asked to post when i plan on updating. honestly i dont really know. I am in college and i can only write when time permits. sometimes I might get a chapter done in a few days, sometimes it'll be a little over over a week. I will try to keep it to roughly a weekly basis, but this is my story and i am god in here so i will post whenever i damn well feel like it. Muahahahahahahah

Finally, while i wold love to carry this all the way into the grand magic games, it will take me a veeeerrrrryyy long time to get there. I am currently wathing the english dub so if they finish the ark by the time my story gets there, then the answer is yes. probably. maybe. i dunno i have an interesting idea for a possible ending but im unsure of it

Now the last thing im going to say. yes this is an IchixErza fic and it's going to stay that way, however i would like to hear what other pairings you would like to see in this story. Leave a reply or PM with your vote :)

I'm Bruised Knuckles. You stay classy, planet earth.


	4. Wake Up Call

**A/N **Okay before i get started i just want to say that I am super super sorry about how long i took with this chapter. Life kind of hit me hard for a couple weeks and I had to put this story on back burner for a while. Sorry if some of you got impatient. Also I will keep to answering questions and stuff at the end as i don't like adding these on before the story. This is a one time thing. (Hopefully) So here is chapter 4. enjoy

**Chapter 4. Wake Up Call**

Erza is laying back on the bed in the small room of the inn they were staying at. It was a soft enough bed. The sheets were a bit scratchy, but she couldn't complain. After all, they had barely managed to afford it. They had spent the last of their funds for the job to pay for the accommodations. They would have to rely on the payment to feed and shelter themselves on the journey back to Magnolia.

But she wasn't too concerned about it. The job would be easy enough. A merchant's guild had asked for a couple wizards to clear a run down trade route of a nest of knackers, little goblin like creatures covered in spikes and with mouths full of long teeth. Nothing she and Ichigo hadn't handled before

Speaking of the orange haired teen, he had been behaving weirdly the entire night. Sure she wasn't thrilled about sharing a bed, but they hadn't had the money for a room with two, so there was no use complaining. But that didn't stop Ichigo. Erza simply rolled her eyes as she remembered how he had thrown a fit about it not being proper for them to share a bed. She didn't see what the big deal was. It's not like they hadn't had to do this before. In her mind it was as normal as when she had shared a bed with Cana before she got her room at fairy hills.

Her musings were broken as she heard the door open, and the source of her annoyance entered with a loaf of bread and a jug of milk in his arms.

"I thought you said you were getting dinner." She greeted him with a bit of her annoyed mood flaring at the sight of the measly meal

Ichigo huffed and set the food on the little table. "Yeah well I can't exactly pull money out of my ass Erza."

"So we fill up on bread and milk before we hunt down the beasts?" she let a bit more of her mood show in her words.

Ichigo just let it slide. Over the past two years he had learned that when it came to Erza and her bad moods, fighting fire with fire only made it worse. He cut two pieces off of the loaf and tossed one over to her. They ate in silence for a while. They both had their minds focused elsewhere.

'I can't believe we didn't remember to bring enough money again. How does this always happen? I never had this problem with Gray. Maybe she's just more expensive than he is.'

'First he whines about sharing a bed, like he always does. Then he brings back a loaf of bread expecting that to be dinner. Ugh sometimes I don't know why I put up with him.'

And so the awkward meal continued. Erza was starting to get angrier as the silence continued. She could tell Ichigo was angry. She had been annoyed by his petty behavior earlier, but she much preferred it to his current grumpiness.

'Some conversation would be nice.'

"It's getting late." Ichigo mumbled.

"Yeah" she huffed 'Great'

"I'm gonna get cleaned up and head to bed." He got up and walked to the bathroom "You should head to bed soon too."

"Thank you." Erza responded curtly

Soon Ichigo finished his shower and returned to the room to find Erza fast asleep.

'Great.' He thought to himself. Of all the times they had shared a bed, he had never once managed to go to bed without waking her. And every time she would lecture him about not interrupting her rest. That's just what he wanted right now.

Just like every other time, he quietly made his way to the bed and tried to lower himself onto his side. And just like every time, Erza rolled to stare at him.

"Sorry" he mumbled as he laid his head down on the pillow

"….It's alright" She mumbled "Sorry about getting upset about the food. I know it wasn't your fault."

"Um thanks." It wasn't often that they would stay angry at each other for long. They never did. "Now get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow"

Erza rolled on her side to face him. She liked having the company. It helped her sleep sounder knowing that it wasn't just her in the empty room. With that she let her eyes close and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Morning<p>

The morning was a hot one. It had been hot all week. To Erza it felt like she was boiling inside her armor.

'Why does the sun hate me?' she wondered. She kept her composure though. She would not be the one to complain about the heat first.

As if reading her thoughts Ichigo grumbled. "Damn it's hot out here!"

"No kidding. Let's hurry and get this done so we can collect the reward and get back to the cool air inside."

That was just the problem. The client had said that the nest was a half days walk into the denser parts of the woods. This meant that they had yet another half day of suffering in the heat. And this was before they had to deal with however many of the knackers there were infesting it.

They had already walked for several hours so far and something was bothering Ichigo.

There were no signs of any knackers. Normally the creatures were known to tear up the area as a sign of marking their territory. Ichigo didn't see anything of the sort. That was unusual. He couldn't explain it. Something just didn't make since.

Erza had notice it as well. It did not sit well in her stomach.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah. I feel it too."

There was an awkward stillness in the air. It was unnatural. Like something had upset the atmosphere.

They continued walking further in to the dense trees. That was when it happened. A snap of a breaking limb. Before either of the teens could even react, it fell upon them.

A hail of arrows.

It hit them so quickly there was hardly time to dodge. Ichigo felt his magic keeping many of them away, but he soon felt the searing pain as several arrows pierced him in the shoulder and high on his right thigh.

Erza was fairing a little better, but only due to the saving grace of her armor on her torso and arms. Still she took an arrow through her calf, crippling her severely. She quickly fell to her knees as another somewhat stronger shot hit her in the stomach hard enough to dent the armor

All of this in the span of a couple seconds.

Ichigo was still stand, but only barely. He hobbled over to Erza and stood with his sword up in an attempt to protect her.

"Idiots! I told you to hold your fire." The gruff voice came from the tree line as a man in his early thirties walked over to them. He wore rough leather clothing and smelled as if he lived in a brewery. His chin was narrowed, and his face covered in brown stubble. "If a wizards body is damaged, it drains their magic to heal them."

"Who …. The hell… are you." Ichigo's vision was fading fast. He could feel it becoming harder and harder to remain standing. Erza was struggling to try and get back to her feet, but to no avail.

"That's no way to speak to your new owners whelp." The man sneered. More men came out from the trees all dressed similarly to the first. "How about you just do yourself a favor and drop the big sword. If you do that I promise to knock you out before you pass out from blood loss anyway."

'New owners?' Ichigo frantically thought 'Slavers! It was a trap the whole time! Shit I don't think I can get us out of here, and Erza probably can't even walk with that wound.'

"You scum!" Erza shouted with the last of her might. She was fading fast and soon her vision started going dark. "We'll never….let you… take….."

"You're running out of time kid, it looks like your girlfriend has already lost herself."

Ichigo looked down behind him. True to the man's word, Erza had lost consciousness. She was smaller than him yet she had lost a good deal more blood. He wouldn't last much longer either.

Turns out the distraction was all one of the thugs needed to sneak up on him. When he turned back to face the man who he assumed was the leader, he felt something hard strike the side of his head.

CRACK!

And with that the world went dark

* * *

><p>Hard, rough wood planks. Cold metal on her wrists. Her head was foggy. Movement. Whatever she was laying on was rocking. Her body was awkwardly cold and numb and she felt like it was made of lead. What had happened? Where was she? She could feel something else too. Something….soft, going across her back. Summoning up her will, Erza forced her eyes open. It was dark, but as her eyes adjusted she was able to make out a tuft of bright orange lying near her.<p>

'Ichigo?' It all began to click as her memories started to return.

They had been attacked. Ichigo and she were laying in a small enclosed cell of some sort. The movement meant that they are likely being taken somewhere.

"But where?" she whispered. Looking up she realized the weight on her back belonged to Ichigo's arm. Rolling so she could lean on her side she gently nudged the boy "Ichigo. Ichigo wake up."

It took a bit but the teen slowly opened his eyes, likely going through a similar process as what she had only a moment prior.

"Erza?" realization suddenly dawned on him at that moment. "Are you alright?!" Ichigo asked sitting up a bit too suddenly. He winced as he felt pain shoot through his arm from the wound on his shoulder.

"Aside from a little light headedness I'm fine. You need to be still, your wound is still open." She pushed down on his chest forcing him to obey.

"How long have we been out?" Ichigo asked as he lay on his back

Erza looked away "I'm not sure. I only just woke up myself. I can't see outside so I have no idea what time it is."

Ichigo lifted his arms up to look at the chains on his wrists. "I can't feel any of my magic. It's like these restraints are messing with it." He lifted his head and looked around. "I guess it would be stupid to hope they would leave me my sword."

Erza looked down uncomfortably. "They took my armor as well."

Ichigo looked over at her. It was true. He found himself getting enraged thinking that these men had essentially "undressed" his friend while they were unconscious. "Damn. These guys are gonna pay!" Ichigo kicked the side of their mobile cage.

"Hey you two shut up in there!"

Ichigo growled in anger. He knew that there were people out there who were willing to capture and enslave other humans, but he still thought anyone who was willing to partake in the practice deserved to have every bone in their body broken.

Next to him Erza was having her own little episode of emotion. It wasn't all that long ago that she had been enslaved. She had a good idea of what was headed their way. She could not go back to that life. Even the chain on her wrists were more than she could stand and she didn't even have her armor to keep her safe anymore.

Ichigo could tell that she was scared. Hell even that new Natsu kid would have been able to see it. This greatly disturbed him. He had seen the red headed girl face down Vulcans 5 times her size and not so much as flinch. She did not get scared. Erza was not afraid of anything. So to see her so paralyzed in fear, it hurt him in a new way.

"Erza.." he hesitated as she looked up to him, her eyes showing nothing but dread. "It's going to be okay. I won't let them hurt you." He knew that in their current state his words were likely far from the truth, but it was as good as he could do for her for now.

Erza simply nodded and hugged her knees. The rest of their journey they remained silent. It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination, wherever it was.

As the door to their prison was thrown open the two were blinded by the sudden light after being in the dark for so long. They stumbled to their feet, their injuries making it that much harder, and limp out of the back of the cart.

The compound looked as if it were roughly 100 yards or so. It was surrounded by a rough stone wall. Bunker shaped buildings dotted around a large complex. It seemed as if they had stumbled an abandoned military base. It was old and a bit rundown. Maybe their captors had moved in after the military moved out. They weren't given much time to think about it before they were shoved roughly. With her leg injury, Erza wasn't able to keep her balance and stumbled falling to the ground

"Hey watch it!" Ichigo shouted glaring at the man who'd pushed them

"Shut up and move!" the man shouted before striking at him with some kind of pole. The second it touched his skin pain racked his entire body as if he had been hit with some of Laxus' lightning.

"Ichigo…" Erza mumbled worried.

"I won't tell you again. Now walk."

Ichigo pulled himself together. Leaning down he helped Erza to her feet and began to fall in pace behind one of their captors. They were being led to one of the bunker looking buildings at the far end. As the doors opened they discovered that the building itself was just a single cell against the back wall.

"You two got lucky. We only expected to get one mage. Hehehe You'll have to share your room since we only have the one!" with the final word, the guard kicked Ichigo in the back, sending him falling into the room to hit the cold stone floor. Erza quickly rushed to his side as the metal door closed behind her.

"Now you kiddies stay here. Boss'll be by soon to decide what to do with you."

As the man left, Ichigo sat up groaning from the new pain in his shoulder. "Well this isn't exactly what I thought we'd be doing today."

Erza sat back on her legs "What are we going to do?"

Ichigo huffed and kept rubbing his hurt arm. "I don't know….These guys are slavers. That means they want to sell us…"

'What can are we going to do? What can we do?' He kept his thoughts to himself. No. He would get them out of this somehow.

"I can't do this Ichigo. I can't go through this again." Erza was on the edge of tears. Her past flashing in front of her all over again.

Ichigo slid next to her and put his good arm around her shoulders. The two sat like this for what felt like hours. Or was it days? Time had become a blur ever since they were first ambushed. How had this happened? They were better than this. They were Fairy Tail wizards dammit!

Several hours after they were bought in the door opened and the man who had led the attack stepped into the cell with a few others of his group.

"Well, I just got word from one of our buyers. He is interested in the two of you and will be by tomorrow to…examine you." The man grinned sickly and looked over the two of them.

He made Erza sick to her stomach. She was no stranger to his kind. He felt he had the right to steal lives and sell people away. She despised men like him. And she uses the term "men" lightly in their cases.

"Did you kiddos know, that a wizard is the most valuable kind of slave?" he paced as if he were an instructor giving a lecture. "This is because they are viewed as 'exotic'. They have power to protect and serve their masters, and even if their bodies are rejected, we can still extract their power to serve a new master." He glared at them like they were a treasure to be claimed. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. The process is incredibly painful. So rest up! You have a big day ahead of you."

With his speech ended, the slaver walked out of the cell and slammed the door behind him.

Erza bowed her head. The mood in the room was cold and somber. "Well that's it then. Either we escape by tomorrow, or they're going to sell us or worse."

She was right. The situation seemed hopeless. They would have to pray for a miracle, or a really big distraction, to help them escape on the following day. There was no way they could fight off all of the armed men without their magic. Ichigo felt helplessly defeated. He couldn't feel the old man with him anymore, but he supposed that wouldn't matter. In just one short day, it could all be over.

Ichigo pulled Erza closer to himself. He might lie to her, but he couldn't keep the truth from himself. He was scared. But fear would only weaken him. And they would both needed to be strong.

"They think that they've beaten us. They have no idea what we can do." Their eyes locked as he continued his speech. "This isn't over yet Erza. They want mages because our powers make us special. Well let's show them how strong we are without our magic!"

Because if these men were going to try to take away their freedom, then Ichigo and Erza were going to make them fight for every bit

* * *

><p>The night had been restless and long. Neither of them had dared to fall asleep, they hadn't even spoken to each other. They didn't need to. They each understood what the other was feeling and thinking. The sun had come up slowly, as the light under the door began to illuminate their little prison. Today would be their last chance. They had to at least try.<p>

It wasn't long after sunrise that they heard footsteps slowly approaching the door to their cell

"Ichigo, no matter what happens, No matter what they do, we will not let them take us without a fight." Her voice was strong, her stance rigid. Her eyes contained a fire that spoke volumes of the hell she would put their captors through. Ichigo could not help but let it spread to him, making him feel as if his strength had returned to him.

They stand tall shoulder to shoulder, and wait for what was to come next. They could hear voices just outside the door. Shadows of legs danced under the doorframe. And then the loud screeching of the metal door opening filled the room.

They were met with two of the rogues that they did not recognize. One held a spear in his hand, the other simply had a short sword.

"Alright time to go get us our money you two." The one with the spear commanded as he made for them to walk outside. Erza moved first with Ichigo falling in behind her. They were led into a small courtyard where they could clearly see who it was that had come to purchase them.

The man they saw before them was a very odd looking. He was shorter than the other men, around Erza's height. He wore a large flamboyant, striped jacket over a bright blue collared shirt. His pants shined as if they had been spun from gold string, and they ballooned around his thighs, which only made the portly man look rounder. Lastly his boots were a brightly polished green leather. To the two children he looked like a walking advertisement for fashion gone horribly wrong.

His face was pudgy and looked like someone had flattened in. His voice was posh and overly proper. "So are these the little morsels" His eyes moved between the two as if he were examining cattle. "They look rather strong."

He walked over to stand in front of Erza, a sickening grin on his features. "Hmmm yes. I believe she will serve me rather well." The girl couldn't help but shiver under his gaze.

Next it was Ichigo's turn to be examined. The man took longer with him looking the orange haired youth up and down. "With hair like that you are pretty exotic. I think my little girls will be delighted to have you as a replacement after their old toy… expired."

After the man's examination, one of the bandits approached holding Ichigo's sword. "Sir Hawthorne, this belongs to the boy. It is made of the finest quality metal I've seen, and it radiates with his power."

The now named Hawthorne looked over the blade and extended his hand to accept it from the man. "Such a perversely large blade. How very vulgar of you to carry around such a barbaric tool."

The sight of the Old Man in Hawthorne's grip drove Ichigo to snap. He threw off the thugs holding him in place and sent one of them flying against a nearby building. "Get your hands off of him!"

Erza took this as the signal to act. She easily slipped out of the grip of her captors while they were distracted by Ichigo's outburst. Before they could grab her again, she sent a kick back into one man's stomach and tackled the other to the ground

In the middle of the clearing, a group of the body guards had surrounded Ichigo before he could attack Hawthorne. They were quickly closing in around him. Ichigo thought fast as he dodged several attacks and countered as best he could. Occasionally he would catch a glimpse of Erza as she dealt with her own attackers. He turned his attention back to the men standing between him and his blade. Before he could make his next move he heard a loud feminine cry of pain.

When he turned to see what had happened, Ichigo saw one of the bandits had struck Erza with one of the electrified batons. "You son of a AAAHHHHh." Suddenly his entire world was pain. The shock had been far worse than the first he had received. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt and it froze him in place. When the current finally ended he dropped to his knees.

"How dare you little brats rebel against those better than you." The gloating voice of Hawthorne chimed in. "You need to learn your places. You are no better than the dust on my boots!" He walks up to Ichigo to stand over him "Hah you are far too Rapid and boorish for my sweets!" With that he repeatedly planted sharp kicks into Ichigo's stomach, causing the young teen to cough up blood before he walked away. "I don't want him. Drain him and I'll buy the lacrima and the blade."

Erza barely had time to recover before she saw them dragging her companion off towards a machine at the far end of the compound. "No! Leave him alone!" She tried to get up but her strength hadn't come back to her yet. She felt hands on her shoulders and was dragged to her feet

"What do you want us to do with the girl sir?"

Hawthorne turned to examine Erza. "I still intend to purchase that one. She can still learn her place and be subservient. Take her and the boy's blade and put them in the storage of the cart."

Before she could protest, the man holding her dragged her to the open doors of the cart and roughly threw her in the back. He was closely followed by another who carried Ichigo's sword, which was placed in a stand on one of the walls.

And now she was back to where they had started, locked in a cage. No, this was worse. Now they were separated and Ichigo was in danger. She had to think of something 'Come on Erza Ichigo needs you. You've got to get out of this.'

She looked at the bindings on her wrists

'I won't be able to do any good if I can't get rid of these first.' Erza quickly examined her surroundings for anything she could use to free herself.

As far as cages go, she supposed this one could be considered rather nice. The wood of the floor was smooth and the walls were painted with a rich maroon. All of the wood paneling and accents looked as if a skilled craftsman had made them by hand. All in all it was a very high class place. It was also completely useless if you were looking to escape.

She was about to give up out of frustration until her eyes fell on something of a bright silver. 'Of course!' Ichigo's sword was hanging on the wall. 'Even if I can't wield it like this, I can still use it to cut my bindings!'

Erza quickly shifted herself so she could rub the binding on her wrists against the blade's edge

"Hang on Ichigo, I'll be there soon."

* * *

><p>With Ichigo<p>

Ichigo watched on through half open eyes as Erza was thrown into the back of the slavers cart. 'Dammit I have to help her, but, I can barely move'

He tried to drag himself to at least his knees, but he soon felt a boot planted hard on his back "I told you that you are beneath the dirt on my boots didn't I?" Hawthorne stood over him gloating "You should have learned that the world is made of different levels of individuals. Those on the bottom, like you and your little red head friend, only exist to serve those who are their betters, such as myself." The plump man kicked Ichigo in the side again causing the boy to cough up a small amount of blood. "But I feel my words are wasted on your vulgar ears. The very sight of you offends me. Take him to have his energy sucked out or whatever it is that you do."

As if they had been waiting for the command, two of the thugs and their leader grabbed Ichigo by the arms and hauled him over to a large, ominous looking machine. It was comprised of a large ring the had four prong jutting in towards the center, two were close together at the bottom while the other two were further apart around the top. Ichigo assumed these were meant to hold his arms and legs.

His assumptions were confirmed when his hands and feet were placed into sockets within each pyramid like protrusion, and he was soon locked in place. No matter how hard he fought and strained, he could not move his limbs even an inch.

"Don't bother boy. Once those close there is no way to break out of them. No sit back. Relax. This is only going to hurt a lot." The man sneered at Ichigo and flipped a switch

For a moment there was nothing. Then everything was pain. Its intensity was indescribable. Ichigo could not help but cry out. It felt as if every part of his body was being ripped apart over and over.

'Dammit I have to get out of this. I can't take much more.'

He could feel himself growing weaker. His breathing became slower and his cries of pain diminished. No matter how bad it still hurt, he didn't even have the strength left to complain about it. His vison was filling in with black. He would soon be gone.

'No. I can't let it end…..like…..this.'

Suddenly he felt a falling sensation and then nothing. The pain, the restraints, he couldn't feel them anymore. Was he dead?

Ichigo opened his eyes and saw the familiar landscape of the sideways city that made up his soul. And he saw the one person he really didn't want to put up with at the moment. An all-white version of himself, aside from his attire, and his yellow eyes. The boy spoke in higher pitched version of Ichigo's voice with a bit of reverb in it.

"_**Hey there, King"**_

"Shiro."

* * *

><p>With Erza<p>

After a bit of awkward struggling, Erza had managed to cut through the bindings on her wrists. She could feel her magic returning, but she had been cut off from it for so long. It was going to take a while for it to recover

'Looks like I'm doing this the old fashioned way.'

She had barely finished her thought when she heard Ichigo's horrifying cries of pain. The sounds of his suffering nearly broke her heart. What were they doing to cause her best friend so much pain?

"No dammit. I'm going to free you Ichigo. Stay strong."

Grabbing the only weapon she could, Erza broke through the doors on the back of the cart. The guards barely had time to react before she was on them. Ichigo's blade was larger than the swords she was used to, but with a little adjustment, she was easily able to cut down the first man before she had to block a strike from the second. She may not have had magic, but she was still one of the best swordsmen in Fairytail. The Second thug did not last much longer before his blood was on the ground.

She quickly ran to the last place she remembered seeing Ichigo. Her heart was racing as she gripped the hilt tightly, her feet pounding on the ground. As she rounded a corner she froze.

Before her were roughly a dozen of the bandits and Hawthorne's body guards. All of them armed. Erza knew she would not be able to defeat them all. But that is not what had her frozen in her tracks.

Hanging limp inside the center of a giant Machine, was Ichigo. His body not moving. She could see the light blue of Ichigo's energy being sucked into the lacrima holding his arms and legs in place. His eyes were open, but they were devoid of life.

"no. No no no no. No!" Erza was distraught. Her best friend, the one person who she felt understood her, was gone. She could feel sadness within her heart, but it was being overtaken by an overpowering rage. "You bastards! I'll kill all of you!"

She charged headlong at them, no longer caring how outnumbered she was. She would make them pay for what they had taken from her, from Fairytail. Everything was a blur. She felt her swings meeting with flesh and steel, as well as the hot pain when one of their blades cut into her. Somehow she had managed to get between them and Ichigo's limp body.

"How dare you stand up against your masters again." Hawthorne was the first to speak up. "You have killed some of my men, and they were some of the best money could buy. I will teach you to know a woman's place at my feet. You will be punished for this."

"How dare I?! I am not the one who enslaves others. I am not the one who murdered one of the kindest young men just because I wanted his power!" Erza ran at the man, forgetting about his armed guards. Before she can even get close to the horrid man, Erza is yanked off her feet and thrown to the ground and skids until she hits the base of the machine.

She cannot even get up before a metal boot kicks her hard in the ribs, causing her to cough up blood. The beating lasts only for a moment before Hawthorne calls the guards away. "

"Now now, don't kill her." He walks up next to her bruised and bleeding body. "Not before I've had time to show her where women belong." Grabbing Erza by the hair, the man began to drag her away towards one of the buildings. "I am not to be disturbed. Watch and make sure I get all of the power that boy has."

Erza tried to fight, tried to kick and twist out of his grip, but she was too tired and wounded to accomplish anything. As the doors closed behind them she was thrown harshly against the cold floor. Erza scrambled and struggled to turn and face her tormentor.

He gazed upon her with clear malice. "My girl you are quiet troublesome. You have cost me a rather large sum of money, but do not fear. I am prepared to have you make up for every single jewel."

As the man approached her he slowly began to pull off his coat. Erza's eyes widened as she realized his intent. Fear takes over her as she backs further and further away from the man until her back is against the wall.

She could do nothing, she was far to beaten to be able to escape this time.

* * *

><p>Ichigo's inner world<p>

Ichigo was standing on the smooth glass of a skyscraper in his inner world. Well it was in fact, the only building that was still intact. Many of the surrounding buildings were crumbling and dissolving into nothing. The building that Ichigo and his albino doppelganger were currently standing on was in the eye of the storm around them.

"_**Hey there, King" **_

"Shiro."

Ichigo stared down the pale mirror image of himself. In a world without color they could have been perfect twins. But that is where the similarities stopped. Ichigo was wearing a black t-shirt with light blue jeans. He wore just a typical pair of boots. Shiro on the other hand wore an open all white vest with black lining. His shorts were a light gray and were ripped and tattered around the bottoms, and the boy had never felt the need for shoes. Leather and chain bracelets adorned his wrists. All in all his attire gave him a much more wild look to match his personality.

Shiro narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. _**"So, you like what they've done to the place?" **_Ichigo didn't have time to answer before Shiro lunged him and punched him hard in the jaw. _**"How could you just let them do this to us? You're pathetic!"**_

Ichigo stood up and spat out a bit of blood. "Where's the old man?"

He thought back to the first time he had been introduced to Shiro almost a year and a half ago. The Old Man had brought him out saying that he would be a good training partner for Ichigo and that they could learn for each other. He had at first been creeped out and annoyed by the sadistic version of himself. He was wild and vulgar and was essentially an exact opposite of Ichigo. Over time however, he had discovered that they did share many concerns. Whether he tries to hide it or not, Ichigo could tell that Shiro cared about his friends like Erza and Gray. This only made more since when he learned that, like The Old Man, Shiro was another part of him.

Shiro just scoffed at him. _**"He's off with the redhead locked up. Or did you mean the one who is using the last of his power to prevent that damn machine from killing you?"**_

"Why am I in here? I need to get out of here so I can go help Erza and we can esca…."

"_**Dumbass! You really think you can break out?"**_ Shiro didn't let him finish. Again he lunged at Ichigo and caught him by the head, slamming him down into the skyscraper. _** "You think you can even get to her? You can't even save yourself let alone your friend!"**_

No matter how hard he tried, Ichigo could not escape the yellow eyed man's grasp. "Damn you."

Shiro growled at him _**"You have the balls to curse me after you screwed this up? Fuck you! I'm the last chance we've got to get out of this cluster fuck!"**_

Shiro got off of him and gestured behind him _**"Look, Erza was strong enough to at least put up a fucking fight. She's not even a man and she's got bigger balls than you!"**_

Ichigo looked up into the vision that had appeared in the sky. It clearly depicted Erza fighting off the bandits using his sword. He could only watch as she was thrown to the ground and Hawthorne started to drag her away.

"No! I have to get out there!" Ichigo demanded

Shiro let his wild grin come to his face. _**"Oh you think you have what it takes to save her? We've got the power, you just have to stop being such a little bitch and claim it. Look."**_

Ichigo looked where Shiro had pointed. Lying on the ground just at the foot of the machine, was the blade of The Old Man.

"_**He's right there. Nut the fuck up and go save your bitch."**_

Ichigo felt something snap and faster than he thought that he could, he punched Shiro in the gut, doubling him over

"I've told you to stop calling Erza a bitch." Ichigo stood tall and confident over Shiro

"_**About damn time. Whatever you say king." **_Shiro smiled and faded into Ichigo and the world around him started to darken and he felt himself being dragged back to the real world.

* * *

><p>The machine whirred on as it drained the last ounces of strength from the ginger teen.<p>

"Alright guys we're almost done here. Get ready to transport the lacrima." The lead bandit barked orders at his men. He was more than annoyed. These children had killed several of his men and injured even more. Hawthorne had better pay handsomely for their efforts. "The faster we can get these kids out of here the…."

His speech was interrupted by the slightest cracking sound followed by a few grunts coming from behind him. He turned his shoulder to see the orange haired youth once again straining against the bindings.

'He should be almost completely drained, how does he have the strength to even move?' he supposed it didn't matter "Kid I told you before there's no way…"

There it was again. A cracking sound accompanying the boy's efforts, although this time it was louder. And along with the sound came visible cracks forming in the lacrima holding the boy in place. The bandit leader's eyes went wide 'Is he actually…'

"Turn up the power, bring in the shock batons! He's breaking out!"

The bandits didn't have time to react to the order before Ichigo began letting out a low growl and the air around him began to glow softly. With one last massive effort, the lacrima shattered and Ichigo fell to the ground, Right next to his sword.

"How did you?" The leader spoke up, but Ichigo interrupted him

"Where did he take Erza?" his voice held no emotion in it

Now it was one of Hawthorne's body guards who spoke up. "Lord Hawthorne has her, but we will not allow trash like you near him."

"This is your only warning," The air around Ichigo suddenly began whirling as if he were in the middle of a tornado. His body let off a faint blue aura again. "Get out of my way, OR DIE!"

As the men all drew their weapons, none of them could have prepared for how much faster the teen had somehow become. In a move that their eyes could barely follow, the boy had rushed the man nearest him and with an upward sweep, had cut through the man's sword and a majority of the arm behind it.

As the man lay in agony on the ground, his comrades rushed Ichigo. None of their strikes however were able to get past the massive blade. As one man's strike was blocked, Ichigo used his momentum to cut down another man in his path.

"Outta my way!" Ichigo blocked an overhead strike from the bandits' leader

"You little fuck! Do you know what you've done?" The man snarled at him.

Ichigo grunted and pushed more of his strength against the man. With a powerful swing, he sent the bandit flying back against a wall.

With the area cleared for the moment, Ichigo made his way in the direction where he last saw Erza being taken "Hang on just a bit longer Erza. I'm on my way."

* * *

><p>Erza and Hawthorne<p>

Hawthorne stood between Erza and her only way out of the building. Her only other option was to run further into the halls of whatever this place was. It wasn't a permanent solution, she was too injured to be able to keep away for long, but maybe it could buy her some time.

"You really are an exquisite creature." Erza's thoughts were drawn back to the man who had been tormenting her. "You're strength and beauty are quite something. Why, given some time I'm positive you would even grow into an incredibly alluring woman." Hawthorne's lecherous eyes never left her form. She knew what he had planned for her. Erza could not allow this man to have his way with her. In her mind if he defeated her here then she would be stuck in a life of servitude.

Their one-sided conversation was interrupted by a massive force of magical energy being released outside. Erza recognized it as Ichigo's almost immediately. 'He's okay. But this is so much more potent than Ichigo's power has ever been.'

Hawthorne, after a moment of thought, spoke again. "Ah so they must have finally finished draining him. Good, his power will be a wonderful addition to my collection."

Erza's eyes widened a bit in shock "No… No…NO!" She yelled with all her might "There is no way that Ichigo would let himself die in a place like this!" She didn't know whether she was trying to convince Hawthorne, or herself.

"Ichigo huh? So that was the little brute's name. I'll be sure to put it on the plaque where I hang his lacrima." Hawthorne was getting closer to her and she was running out of time. But given all of the recent shocks, her mind couldn't seem to function. Erza was helpless to defend herself.

'I won't make this easy…. He'll have to kill me before I give in.' It sounded so much more confident in her head. Hawthorne was almost on top of her now, and she hadn't even tried to fight back. 'Pathetic.' Was all she could think.

Neither of them noticed the ground shake from an impact.

Nor the thickening of the air.

Not the sudden weight on them.

Neither Erza nor Hawthorne noticed anything. But as if from nowhere, Erza saw a hand grasp Hawthorne by the face, and then suddenly the man was thrown clear across the room into the stone wall. As she looked at the scene before her, Erza's vision as suddenly filled with bright orange hair and deep brown eyes.

"Are you okay Erza?"

Erza couldn't think. One second she thought he was dead, and the next he was here saving her, like always.

"Hey Erza come on talk to me." Ichigo leaned over her with concern evident in his tone.

Shaking her head to clear her head Erza replied. "Yeah. I'm a bit banged up but I'll live."

Ichigo nodded and turned to face the hole in the opposite wall where he had recently sent Hawthorne "Good. I'm gonna make sure this guy doesn't come after us, and then we can get outta here."

Erza got to her feet and after taking a minute to get used to her exhausted state, followed behind Ichigo to the hole. As the teens observed the inside of the hole they spotted Hawthorne lying in some ruble in the next room over.

The man was clearly very injured with several broken limbs. He was barely conscious as he glared at them through the hole in the wall.

"How.. dare ..you put your… _cough _Filthy hands on me…" Having said his last bit he promptly passed out.

"Good. He'll live." Ichigo whispered as he and Erza walked back to the entrance and out into the clearing.

The sight before Erza was a stark contrast from what it looked like when she had last seen it.

The machine that Ichigo had been stuck in was now a broken, smoking pile of metal and wires. All around her there were men lying unconscious on the ground or moaning in pain, unable to move to get in their way. The rest must have fled while she was gone. She was impressed that Ichigo had been able to incapacitate all of the thugs considering how week he had appeared. "Ichigo how did you do all this?"

Her question fell on deaf ears and Erza realized that Ichigo was no longer standing next to her. In fact he had walked over to one of the carts brought by Hawthorne and his men, and was staring dumbly into it.

Erza raised an eyebrow and waked over to see what could possibly be so interesting that Ichigo would ignore her question.

"Hey didn't you hear me? I asked how you did all of…this."

Before the two teens sat several chests full of what must have been several hundred thousand Jewel. To the two teens, it might as well have been millions.

"This must be what they intended to buy us with." Erza mumbled.

'With all this, we could stay at real inns and not worry about food for the next hundred jobs we take. Erza let's take it.

"What? No. Ichigo this money doesn't belong to us." She shook her head and gave Ichigo a serious glare

"It might as well be after what they put us through, what they planned to do to us. And since this job was a hoax we aren't going to get a real reward. We need the money Erza." Ichigo begged and pleaded but the scarlet haired mage wouldn't budge. Finally Ichigo decided to hit her with the one thing he knew would be the nail in the coffin.

"I'll use my share to buy you five cakes of your choosing when we get back to Magnolia."

At his words Erza froze. "Hmmm. Make it ten."

Ichigo just rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Okay ten cakes. Now come on let's get out of here." he walked to the front and grabbed one of the reins to pull the cart.

Erza copied his gesture and the two began their journey home. They had been through quite the ordeal, and they had come dangerously close to losing everything, but they had made it through. Together. Ichigo was content with their escape, but Erza was having a conflicted battle within her thoughts.

'He had to rescue me again. We are supposed to be partners. Sure he is stronger than I am, but he is always the one pulling me out of the fire when things are at their worst.' She couldn't stand how it made her feel like she was only weighing him down. 'Then again he wouldn't have been able to save me if I hadn't fought to him with his sword. Ugh who am I kidding, he would have torn the place apart with his bare hands. He didn't even use his sword and he ended Hawthorne before the man even knew he'd been attacked.' She just couldn't justify it to herself. She should never put Ichigo in the situation where he is forced to save her. 'That's it then, when we get back, I'm going to train until I can confidently stand as his equal. I'll prove to him that I can be good enough to stand by his side. And maybe next time, it will be I who saves him.'

Erza gave herself a small nod and with a newfound determination, continued on towards home. Her pace matching Ichigo's

* * *

><p><strong>AN Part 2: **Okay so that was chapter 4. I really liked writing this chapter as it was a bit more action packed and it started to show why i chose that M rating. Im going to take this opportunity to try and preemptively answer some questions as well as answer some old ones.

1. Ichigo does not Know Zangetsu's name yet. He is in his sealed state and has not yet achieved shikai. That is why all of the characters who know about him always refer to Zangetsu as "The Old Man"

2. Yes Bankai, Hollowfication, and Possibly even the form Ichigo takes on during his final fight with Aizen will be in the story, but not till much later.

3. I am ignoring the events of the Fullbring, and 1000 year blood war arcs because I think that they were sloppily written, and the idea of Zangetsu being his Quincy powers just angers me so fuck all that.

4. As i showed, Shiro does exist in this world, and yes he plays a major part, but more as an anti hero to Ichigo instead of a villain. By this point in the story, Ichigo has trained and interacted with Shiro for just over a year, so they have come to understand each other and get along more like Rivals or bickering brothers.

5. As the story gets closer to Fairy Tail canon, I am going to start paying more attention to the other characters, but it's hard enough pulling a plot for Ichigo and Erza out of my ass every chapter for now. Don' worry though, we will be there before you know it.

6. Lastly, the romance of this fic will not come until a good deal later as Erza and Ichigo are still children, and have more of a sibling-esque relationship going.

As always give me dem reviews. I've loved what you've all had to say and all of the reviews have been supportive and constructive.

From Channel 4 news, I'm Bruised Knuckles. You stay classy, fiction readers


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